People from Northeast start returning to Pune

Students, workers as well as working professional from the northeast - who had left the city during the exodus in August, have started to return to Pune, albeit in small numbers.

| TNN | Sep 8, 2012, 04.12 AM IST

PUNE: Students, workers as well as working professional from the northeast - who had left the city during the exodus in August, have started to return to Pune, albeit in small numbers.

Sources in city-based security firms, which had lost a considerable chunk of their staff to the exodus, have said that a majority of the NE security guards have returned and been accommodated. Some sources in the restaurant industry, however, said that their NE staff is yet to return, and will be accommodated if they have not been replaced yet.

No special trains have been arranged for those who are returning, said Y K Singh, public relation officer of Central Railways, Pune railway division. "They are returning in the Azad Hind Express, which arrives at Pune station at around 6:30-7 am. Since they reach Pune early in the morning, it is difficult to gauge how many have come back," Singh said.

Northeast students' Interim Forum convener, Rock Lungleng, said, "Most of the students have come back. Rough estimates say that there were hardly 100-200 NE students among all those who had left. The rest were working professionals and workers. More than 50-60 students may have come back and the rest are expected to be back by September end."

Thotngachan Khongreiwo of the Naga Students' Union said that it was difficult to estimate how many from the northeast have come back to Pune. "We do know that many students have come back and are already attending colleges as their examinations are imminent," he said. Thotngachan confirmed that of all those who had left, most were working professionals and workers.

Meghalaya power minister A T Mondal, who was recently in Pune as part of a goodwill visit, said, "We are in touch with the parents and guardians of students in the northeast and have told them that it is safe for their children to return to Pune. It is difficult to give the exact number of students who have returned to Pune.

We have, however, asked the students who are returning to register with our department, which will help us develop a mechanism to keep track of their numbers. We would also start online registrations by next week."

Peimingam A Zimik, president of Naga Students' Union, said, "We have heard that students are coming back now. Though it is difficult to give an exact number of Nagaland students that had left, rough estimates say that about 5% of the total Naga students in Pune had left. We feel that 3% of them have now come back. We are organizing a sports event on September 28, which would help us know for sure about the number of students that have returned."

Another representative of the Interim Forum said that the students were mostly coming in small groups or pairs. "Five of my friends from Meghalaya have come back. Another three came back last week, while three more are expected soon," he said.

Meanwhile, security firms now have majority of their personnel from NE back. Gautam Giri, director of a city-based security firm, said, "My company had lost at least 100-odd personnel to the exodus. They were mostly from Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. Twenty per cent of positions were thus left vacant. All of them are now back and have been re-recruited," he said.

Another security firm had lost 20-25 personnel from NE to the exodus. "A majority of them are back and have been accommodated. The only difference is that a guard, who was earlier deployed at one site, has now been shifted to another," said a source from the firm. He added that the personnel came back as they now feel that the city is safe.

Eight to nine per cent of the total number of personnel at another security firm belonged to the NE. "Only 30% of them had left. They are now back and have been accommodated," said Sukhdeep Singh, director of the security firm.

John Cheng, the owner of a Chinese restaurant in Aundh and Lullanagar, had 40% of his staff leave the city with the exodus. He said that none of them have come back. "We have filled half the vacant slots. Thus, if the old staff comes back, I would only be able to offer them a few of the positions," said Cheng.

Nilesh Kolapkar from one of the eateries in Koregaon Park said that 15 of his 20 northeast staff had left in the exodus. "Ninety per cent said that they would come back. Half of them will come back in mid-September, and the rest by September end," he said.

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